1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a panel inspection apparatus, particularly, to a panel inspection apparatus having an improved support structure of a camera used to inspect a display panel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most recent research related to display devices is focused on scaling-up the size of the screens, reducing the dimension of the screens, and reducing the weight of the screens. Various display panels, such as, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and a PDP (Plasma Display Panel) have been developed as a result of such research. Accordingly, there has been a growing need for a panel inspection apparatus during the manufacturing process of the display panels.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional panel inspection apparatus. As illustrated, a conventional panel inspection apparatus 101 comprises, a panel supporting table 110 to support a panel 103, a camera unit 104 installed above the panel supporting table 110 to photograph the panel 103 supported by the panel supporting table 110, and a camera support 130 supporting the camera unit 104.
The panel supporting table 110 is shaped like a table, and supports the panel 103 placed on a palette 111.
The camera unit 104 is installed on the camera support 130, and comprises, a first camera 105 installed to face the panel 103 perpendicular to the center of the panel 103 supported by the panel supporting table 110, and four second cameras 107 installed north, south, west, and east of the first camera 105 installed perpendicular to the center of the panel 103.
The first camera 105 installed perpendicular to the panel 103 photographs the area of the panel 103 from the direction perpendicular to the panel 103, while the four second cameras 107, installed at predetermined angles from the panel 103, photograph the panel 103 from the predetermined angles.
Accordingly, the camera unit 104 comprising the first camera 105 and the four second cameras 107 installed on the camera support 130 photograph the panel 103 supported on the panel supporting table 110 from the direction perpendicular to the panel 103 and from four different directions within the predetermined angles, respectively, to allow inspection for a defect that may occur on the panel 103, such as a fleck.
However, the conventional panel inspection apparatus is expensive because the inspection apparatus requires at least five cameras to allow inspection of the entire area of the panel 103. In addition, according to the conventional panel inspection apparatus, as the size of the panel increases, the number of cameras required to inspect the panel also increases, resulting in additional expense for installation of the additional cameras. For example, in order to inspect a 14-inch panel using the conventional panel inspection apparatus, one camera unit comprising five cameras is required, while a 21-inch panel would require at least four camera units or 20 cameras total.